TSN Toronto Blue Jays beat reporter Scott Mitchell ranks the top 20 prospects in the team’s farm system every Wednesday.

 

1. RHP T.J. Zeuch

Current affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire

Age: 22 (08/01/1995)

Height: 6-foot-7 | Weight: 225

Projected MLB ETA: 2019

Season stats: 3-3 (six starts), 3.47 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 36.1 IP, 34 H, 9 BB, 24 K at High-A; 5-2 (nine starts), 2.47 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 58.1 IP, 52 H, 15 BB, 34 K at Double-A

Past week: 1-0 (two starts), 15 IP, 9 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K at Double-A

If there’s one thing the Blue Jays were hoping for internally this season, it was solid seasons out of their top pitching prospects. So far, so good, especially when it comes to Zeuch, who’s already made some impressive adjustments since being promoted to Double-A in May. After a tough debut, Zeuch has figured things out, and is now on a run of six straight starts of at least 6.2 innings and two or less earned runs allowed. In his past four outings, he’s gone at least seven innings, including a pair of gems over the last week, helping him earn Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honours. Last Thursday against the Akron RubberDucks (Cleveland), Zeuch was dominant, giving up just two hits over eight scoreless innings, before following that up with seven more shutout frames Tuesday against the Erie SeaWolves, outduelling Detroit Tigers’ prized pitching prospect Alex Faedo. The progress of Zeuch’s secondary pitches has been the reason for his success lately, with not only the changeup coming along, but the slider and curveball, too. Injury issues held Zeuch back last season, but he’s on the fast-track now.

 

2. OF/1B Ryan Noda

Current affiliate: Low-A Lansing

Age: 22 (03/30/1996)

Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 217

Projected MLB ETA: 2020

Season stats: .253/.447/.455 with 8 HR, 34 RBI, 8/2 SB/CS in 246 plate appearances (58 games) at Low-A

Past week: .364/.417/.773 with 3 HR, 9 RBI, 0/0 SB/CS in 24 plate appearances (five games) at Low-A

The owner of top spot on last week’s Future Watch list, Noda has continued to crush over the past week in Lansing, hitting three more home runs in just five games. After hitting exactly zero homers in his first 44 games, Noda’s now belted eight of them in a 14-game span, slashing a video-game-like .385/.452/.865 over his last 62 plate appearances. Since he’s a college draft pick who’s already 22, a promotion to High-A Dunedin could be on the horizon.

 

3. LHP Ryan Borucki

Current affiliate: Triple-A Buffalo

Age: 24 (03/31/1994)

Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 175

Projected MLB ETA: 2018

Season stats: 6-5 (13 starts), 3.27 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 77 IP, 62 H, 28 BB, 58 K at Triple-A

Past week: 1-0 (two starts), 14 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 8 K at Triple-A

Borucki pitched deep into both of his starts over the past seven days, but the results were much different. Last Wednesday he went seven innings against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia), allowing five earned runs in up-and-down outing. But Borucki came back Tuesday night and doubled down on the seven innings, this time holding the Pawtucket Red Sox (Boston) scoreless, allowing just three hits and walking only one. There haven’t been very many duds on Borucki’s resume this season, and he’s sporting a 3.27 ERA because of it. The three-pitch mix — fastball, changeup, slider — is definitely working against Triple-A bats.

 

4. RHP Sean Reid-Foley

Current affiliate: Triple-A Buffalo

Age: 22 (08/30/1995)

Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 220

Projected MLB ETA: 2019

Season stats: 5-0 (8 starts), 2.03 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 44.1 IP, 27 H, 20 BB, 52 K at Double-A; 2-1 (5 starts), 5.11 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 24.2 IP, 25 H, 7 BB, 29 K at Triple-A

Past week: 1-0, 7.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K at Triple-A

Continuing this week’s theme of strong pitching performances in the system, Reid-Foley was dealing for a second straight start Friday against the Rochester Red Wings, holding the Minnesota Twins’ top affiliate to just four hits and one run over 7.1 innings. Like Zeuch, Reid-Foley seems to be adjusting after a rough start to his first stint in Triple-A. A focus of development last year, the Jays say his changeup “has come a long way” this season.

 

5. SS/2B Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Current affiliate: Toronto Blue Jays

Age: 24 (10/19/1993)

Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 185

Projected MLB ETA: Made MLB debut April 20, 2018

Season stats: .347/.382/.510 with 1 HR, 11 RBI, 1/1 SB/CS in 55 plate appearances (12 games) at Double-A; .206/.229/.309 with 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1/1 SB/CS in 70 MLB plate appearances (20 games); .288/.309/.481 with 5 HR, 23 RBI, 3/1 SB/CS in 110 plate appearances (27 games) at Triple-A

Past week: .273/.333/.500 with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0/0 SB/CS in 24 plate appearances (six games) at Triple-A

A hot stretch at Triple-A earned Gurriel another recall to the big club Tuesday, and even though he may head back to Buffalo once a couple of players return to health, he’s made enough of an impressive at three levels this season that the Jays are eager to get a longer look. With Devon Travis and Aledmys Diaz manning the middle infield spots, there’s no clear path to significant playing time currently, so he’s likely better off playing every day in the minors until they can find full-time at-bats for the Cuban.

 

6. C Reese McGuire

Current affiliate: Triple-A Buffalo

Age: 23 (03/02/1995)

Height: 5-foot-11 | Weight: 215

Projected MLB ETA: 2018

Season stats: .236/.327/.313 with 3 HR, 16 RBI, 0/2 SB/CS in 169 plate appearances (43 games) at Triple-A

Past week: .313/.368/.500 with 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0/0 SB/CS in 19 plate appearances (five games) at Triple-A

On June 7, the 2013 first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates was hitting a paltry .186 and hadn’t shown much with the bat since a hot stretch in Double-A last summer. Over the last eight games, however, McGuire has been on fire, slashing .462/.531/.577 to raise his average all the way to .236.

 

7. 2B Samad Taylor

Current affiliate: Low-A Lansing

Age: 19 (07/11/1998)

Height: 5-foot-10 | Weight: 160

Projected MLB ETA: 2022

Season stats: .235/.327/.399 with 5 HR, 23 RBI, 17/6 SB/CS in 246 plate appearances (59 games) at Low-A

Past week: .308/.500/.615 with 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1/1 SB/CS in 18 plate appearances (five games) at Low-A

Taylor continues to show an intriguing blend of power and speed, hitting his fifth home run of the season this past week, as well as stealing his 17th base. There’s a lot of polishing left, but the tools are there for Taylor to make the haul in the Joe Smith trade — Taylor and suspended lefty Thomas Pannone — look good in the long run.

 

8. 1B Rowdy Tellez

Current affiliate: Triple-A Buffalo

Age: 23 (03/16/1995)

Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 220

Projected MLB ETA: 2019

Season stats: .264/.343/.408 with 5 HR, 25 RBI, 4/2 SB/CS in 230 plate appearances (58 games) at Triple-A

Past week: .308/.333/.615 with 2 HR, 5 RBI, 0/0 SB/CS in 27 plate appearances (eight games) at Triple-A

Similar to Noda, Tellez has experienced a bit of a power surge in June, slugging three home runs this month to run his season total to five. Tellez will have to hit for power to get a chance, and his .525 slugging percentage over his last 17 games is a good start.

 

9. SS/2B Richard Urena

Current affiliate: Triple-A Buffalo

Age: 22 (02/26/1996)

Height: 6-foot-0 | Weight: 185

Projected MLB ETA: Made MLB debut Sept. 1, 2017

Season stats: .148/.172/.148 with 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0/0 SB/CS in 29 plate appearances (seven games) at High-A; .278/.278/.444 with 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0/0 SB/CS in 19 MLB plate appearances (11 games); .275/.301/.391 with 1 HR, 7 RBI, 1/1 SB/CS in 74 plate appearances (18 games) at Triple-A

Past week: .368/.368/.421 with 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1/1 SB/CS in 19 plate appearances (five games) at Triple-A

Urena returned the field after missing two weeks with a finger laceration, and has promptly put together three multi-hit performances in five games. He’s fallen behind Gurriel Jr. as the preferred middle infield depth option.

 

10. SS Bo Bichette

Current affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire

Age: 20 (03/05/1998)

Height: 6-foot-0 | Weight: 200

Pre-season top 100 rankings: Baseball America (8), MLB Pipeline (13), Keith Law ESPN (17), Baseball Prospectus (19), FanGraphs (9)

Projected MLB ETA: 2019

Season stats: .279/.352/.434 with 5 HR, 34 RBI, 23/5 SB/CS in 307 plate appearances (68 games) at Double-A

Past week: .233/.294/.400 with 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3/0 SB/CS in 34 plate appearances (eight games) at Double-A

After slashing .256/.336/.427 in the month of May, Bichette has continued to flash the impressive contact skills he showed off last year in his first full pro season, batting .303 through his first 18 games in June. Most importantly, he’s cut down on the swing and miss. Over his first 32 games, Bichette struck out 33 times, but since a three-strikeout day on May 13, he’s only whiffed 18 times in 37 games. One concern is the growing number of errors at the shortstop position, as Bichette has now piled up 15 of them this season, many of them on errant throws.

 

11. 2B/3B Cavan Biggio

Current affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire

Age: 23 (04/11/1995)

Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 203

Projected MLB ETA: 2019

Season stats: .281/.394/.570 with 15 HR, 56 RBI, 8/4 SB/CS in 275 plate appearances (66 games) at Double-A

Past week: .154/.172/.385 with 2 HR, 9 RBI, 0/0 SB/CS in 29 plate appearances (7 games) at Double-A

Biggio has been scuffling for three weeks now, slashing just .193/.290/.333 in the month of June. He went 13 games without a homer to start the month, but the power started to reappear this past week, as Biggio launched bombs in both games over the weekend. After dabbling at first, second and third base to start the season, Biggio has settled in at the hot corner in New Hampshire since Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went down with a knee injury.

 

12. C Danny Jansen

Current affiliate: Triple-A Buffalo

Age: 23 (04/15/1995)

Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 225

Pre-season top 100 rankings: FanGraphs (71)

Projected MLB ETA: 2018

Season stats: .303/.414/.478 with 4 HR, 37 RBI, 4/0 SB/CS in 216 plate appearances (52 games) at Triple-A

Past week: .222/.417/.389 with 0 HR, 3 RBI, 0/0 SB/CS in 24 plate appearances (six games) at Triple-A

Jansen’s had a bit of a weird year in the power department. The 23-year-old hit a pair of homers in April, none in May, but then busted out with a pair over a four-day span two weeks ago. The expectation is Jansen is going to arrive in Toronto later summer, but maybe not before September with Russell Martin and Luke Maile around.

 

13. C Riley Adams

Current affiliate: High-A Dunedin

Age: 21 (06/26/1996)

Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 225

Projected MLB ETA: 2021

Season stats: .227/.317/.354 with 3 HR, 27 RBI, 0/0 SB/CS in 208 plate appearances (50 games) at High-A

Past week: .214/.267/.357 with 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0/0 SB/CS in 15 plate appearances (four games) at High-A

Adams continues to show improvement with the stick, and he’s now driven in nine runs in just 12 games in the month of June. While he only has four extra-base hits this month, Adams has picked up a hit in nine of his 12 starts and has shown an element of consistency after a tough April. Defensively, Adams has gunned down 40 per cent on attempted steals, and he’s been charged with three errors and allowed six passed balls.

 

14. SS Logan Warmoth

Current affiliate: High-A Dunedin

Age: 22 (09/06/1995)

Height: 6-foot-0 | Weight: 190

Projected MLB ETA: 2020

Season stats: .236/.321/.303 with 1 HR, 13 RBI, 4/0 SB/CS in 187 plate appearances (45 games) at High-A

Past week: .200/.273/.200 with 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0/0 SB/CS in 11 plate appearances (three games) at High-A

Warmoth missed nearly three weeks with a hamstring injury, but the 2017 first-round pick was eased back into the lineup last Wednesday.

 

15. OF Anthony Alford

Current affiliate: Triple-A Buffalo

Age: 23 (07/20/1994)

Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 215

Pre-season top 100 rankings: Baseball America (60), MLB Pipeline (47), Keith Law ESPN (44), Baseball Prospectus (58), FanGraphs (36)

Projected MLB ETA: Made MLB debut May 19, 2017

Season stats: .222/.364/.278 with 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0/1 SB/CS in 22 plate appearances (six games) at High-A; .143/.250/.143 with 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1/0 SB/CS in 16 MLB plate appearances (seven games); .204/.271/.261 with 1 HR, 9 RBI, 6/2 SB/CS in 155 plate appearances (39 games) at Triple-A

Past week: .095/.208/.238 with 1 HR, 1 RBI, 0/0 SB/CS in 24 plate appearances (7 games) at Triple-A

A slow start seemed to be a thing of the past when Alford began June by OPSing .871 over his first 36 plate appearances, but the athletic outfielder has fallen into another slump over the past week, collecting just two hits in 24 plate appearances. As we’ve preached over and over in this space, Alford just needs to play for a couple months straight before any real evaluations can be made. One scout from outside the organization believes it’s simply a confidence issue.

 

16. C Max Pentecost

Current affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire

Age: 25 (03/10/1993)

Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 191

Projected MLB ETA: 2019

Season stats: .224/.267/.345 with 3 HR, 19 RBI, 0/0 SB/CS in 180 plate appearances (44 games) at Double-A

Past week: .120/.120/.120 with 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0/0 SB/CS in 25 plate appearances (six games) at Double-A

The 2014 first-round pick continues to grind through a nondescript campaign at Double-A, showing very little of advanced approach prowess that dotted the scouting report when he was drafted out of Kennesaw State University.

 

17. RHP Eric Pardinho

Current affiliate: Extended spring training

Age: 17 (01/05/2001)

Height: 5-foot-10 | Weight: 155

Projected MLB ETA: 2023

Season stats: N/A

Past week: N/A

The Bluefield Blue Jays opened up their Appalachian League short-season schedule Tuesday night, leaving Pardinho on the verge of his professional debut as a 17-year-old, which was slated to happen Wednesday night. Signed for $1.4 million as one of the top pitching prospects in the 2017 international class, Pardinho will be an interesting follow over the next couple of years in the low minors.

 

18. 3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Current affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire

Age: 19 (3/16/1999)

Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 200

Pre-season top 100 rankings: Baseball America (3), MLB Pipeline (3), Keith Law ESPN (2), Baseball Prospectus (4), FanGraphs (3)

Projected MLB ETA: 2019

Season stats: .407/.457/.667 with 11 HR, 55 RBI, 3/6 SB/CS in 235 plate appearances (53 games) at Double-A

Past week: N/A

Guerrero’s torrid start at Double-A has been on hold since he suffered a strained patellar tendon in his left knee on June 6. He’s now two weeks into a four-week shutdown, and the plan is to re-evaluate the blue-chip prospect at that point.

 

19. RHP Nate Pearson

Current affiliate: High-A Dunedin

Age: 21 (08/20/1996)

Height: 6-foot-6 | Weight: 245

Pre-season top 100 rankings: Baseball America (91), Keith Law ESPN (100), FanGraphs (76)

Projected MLB ETA: 2020

Season stats: 0-1 (1 start), 10.80 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 1.2 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 1 K at High-A

Past week: N/A

Hit with a comebacker off the bat of former NFL running back Tyler Gaffney on May 7, Pearson’s now past the six-week mark in his recovery and working on range of motion exercises. The Jays are going to take their time with the non-displaced fracture of the ulna in Pearson’s throwing forearm and there’s a non-zero chance he’s thrown his last pitch of the 2018 minor-league season.

 

20. LHP Thomas Pannone

Current affiliate: Suspended

Age: 24 (04/28/1994)

Height: 6-foot-0 | Weight: 195

Projected MLB ETA: 2019

Season stats: N/A

Past week: N/A

Once he’s completed the 80-game suspension handed to him by Major League Baseball in March for testing positive for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHCMT), Pannone, who’s eligible to return at the end of the month, is expected to eventually rejoin the rotation at Triple-A Buffalo.

 

These rankings are put together based on information gathered from various prospect sources, conversations with evaluators inside and outside the Jays organization, as well as personal opinion. 

I am not a scout, so any notes gathered on pitcher mechanics or notable swing changes throughout the season are coming from an outside source.

While the first list to begin April outlined who the top 20 prospects in the organization are, the purpose of this weekly ranking from this point forward is to highlight how players have done over the past seven days (from Tuesday through the following Monday) and shuffle them up accordingly.

If you see Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as the seventh name on the list one week, it doesn’t mean he’s suddenly the seventh-best prospect in the system. It just means six other prospects from this top 20 performed better over a seven-day period.

We hope you enjoy this weekly snapshot that will run each Wednesday through the end of August when minor league seasons come to a close.​